The Legacy of a Legend: Cry Havoc Review
Fans have long awaited a novel centered on Tom Reece, the legendary father of Jack Carr’s acclaimed protagonist, James Reece. With Cry Havoc, Carr delivers—and then some, offering a high-octane read that demands your full attention.
Though Cry Havoc comes from the same literary universe as The Terminal List series, it is evident from the first page that this is a different battlefield. The year is 1968. Locked in a Cold War, the United States and USSR push the world to the brink, while division and unrest ripple across America. In the jungles of Laos, Thomas Reece, a young Navy SEAL, finds himself isolated, outnumbered, and deep in enemy territory.
Cry Havoc kicks off with an unmatched intensity in a visceral, cinematic prologue. The novel immediately delves into the unforgiving world of special operations following Thomas Reece, attached to MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group), a shadowy special operations unit conducting high-stakes missions deep in denied territory.
More than a military thriller, Cry Havoc’s razor-sharp trade craft pulls readers into the world of covert espionage. Carr plunges us alongside Tom Reece as he ventures into the shadowy side of special operations, pursuing critical intelligence, flipping foreign assets, and settling scores.
Cry Havoc is deeply immersive—crafted as though it were written in 1968, perfectly channeling the era's tone, tension, and language. Carr masterfully weaves the thrilling twists and turns of real events into a brutal page-turner. The elements that set Carr’s books apart – gritty action, enthralling settings, and authentic perspective – are Cry Havoc’s strengths. Readers will time-travel back to the thicket of the Laotian jungle, shoulder to shoulder with Tom Reece—whether awaiting the inevitable encounter with a ruthless enemy, evading capture and certain death, going on R&R in Saigon, or pursuing elusive targets for the CIA.
With seven bestselling James Reece novels (2018 – 2024), multiple seasons of the hit Prime Video series The Terminal List (2022 & 2025), the incisive nonfiction book Targeted: Beirut (2024), and now his first Tom Reece novel, Jack Carr raises the bar yet again. With Cry Havoc, Carr cements his reputation as a master storyteller. His creative foresight and ambition remain unmatched.
Cry Havoc has it all: kinetic action, brutal betrayals, shocking turns, and compelling storytelling that hits with surgical precision. This novel is in a class of its own. Undeniably Carr’s best work to date, Cry Havoc isn’t just a novel—it is a full-throttle experience from cover to cover. Once you pick it up, don’t expect to set it down.
This review was originally written and published on socials on August 23.